Hospitalized patients often require simultaneous monitoring of several body functions to ensure optimal care. This is especially the case in critical care environments such as surgical and neurocare facilities where, for example, frequent or continuous measurements may be required of intracranial pressure (ICP), oxygen concentrations or partial pressures, temperature, blood pressure, and other functions critical to a patient's recovery or survival. Further, these patients may also require treatment using one or more medical instrument that includes an operative probe connected to a nearby console or instrument controller. The complexity of such multitechnology instrumentation, while generally raising standards of patient care, can also lead to the presence of a large number instruments surrounding and connected to the patient via tubes, wires or cables, making caregiver access to the patient awkward and increasing the likelihood of caregiver error.
Some of this complexity is currently being addressed through the development of multifunctional instrument systems that, for example, may be configured as a multiport console interconnected with two or more medical probes for performing measurements or procedures on the patient. An issue with multifunctional medical instrument systems is that each of a variety of probes must be matched and correctly connected to only a particular corresponding port and not to other ports on a console. These ports may be located relatively close to one another on the console, thereby introducing additional possibilities for error in identifying the correct port for a particular probe. Attempts to incorrectly connect a probe to a console can result in loss of time and potentially damage delicate and expensive medical instruments. Especially in high-stress, time-critical treatment environments such as critical care and surgical facilities, solutions are needed to help minimize such caregiver errors that could potentially harm a patient or lead to damage of delicate and expensive medical equipment.